Benefits of Meditation and Exercise

A review of

Barrett B, Hayney MS, Muller D, Rakel D, Ward A, Obasi CN, Brown R, Zhang Z, Zgierska A, Gern J, West R, Ewers T, Barlow S, Gassman M, Coe CL. Meditation or exercise for preventing acute respiratory infection: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Fam Med. 2012 Jul-Aug;10(4):337-46. doi: 10.1370/afm.1376. PMID: 22778122; PMCID: PMC3392293.

A Summarized Review of the Conclusion

We observed substantive reductions in ARI illness among those randomized to exercise training, and even greater benefits among those receiving mindfulness meditation training. Incidence, duration, and global severity of ARI illness were 29%, 43%, and 31% lower in the exercise group and 33%, 43%, and 60% lower in the mindfulness group, respectfully, compared with control. Although not all of these observed benefits were statistically significant, the magnitude of the observed reductions in ARI illness is surely clinically significant. That our findings are corroborated both by laboratory-measured biomarkers and by reductions in work absenteeism further supports a positive interpretation. Implications for the workplace may be especially important. Compared with the control group, all-cause absenteeism was 31% lower in both intervention groups. Looking at ARI-related absenteeism, there were 48% fewer days missed in the exercise group, and 76% fewer in the meditation group. For meditation especially, these findings are unlikely be due to chance. Given that apart from hand washing, no ARI prevention strategies have before been proven, these findings are especially noteworthy.

Quotes from the Article

“That our findings are corroborated both by laboratory-measured biomarkers and by reductions in work absenteeism further supports a positive interpretation. Implications for the workplace may be especially important.”

“Looking at ARI-related absenteeism, there were 48% fewer days missed in the exercise group, and 76% fewer in the meditation group. For meditation especially, these findings are unlikely be due to chance. Given that apart from hand washing, no ARI prevention strategies have before been proven, these findings are especially noteworthy.”

“In terms of strengths, this randomized trial is the first to assess effects of mindfulness meditation on ARI illness and the first to use a validated outcome measure to assess effects of exercise on ARI illness. It is also the first to compare 2 behavioral interventions with a valid control condition, allowing head-to-head comparative effectiveness assessment. The use of multiplex PCR to identify viruses and of IL-8 and neutrophil assays to assess inflammation is also a strength.”

“In conclusion, this ground-breaking randomized trial of meditation and exercise vs wait-list control among adults aged 50 years and older found significant reductions in ARI illness. Corresponding reductions in time lost to work point toward socioeconomic as well as personal health benefits.”

Introduction to The Research

In the United States each year, noninfluenza ARI accounts for more than 20 million doctor visits and 40 million lost school and work days, with an economic impact of more than $40 billion, making noninfluenza ARI rank first in the top 10 most expensive illnesses. Available treatments are not very effective. Reducing this burden even modestly could lead to substantial economic and quality-of-life benefits. There is some evidence that enhancing general physical and mental health may reduce ARI burden. In a series of observational and viral inoculation studies, perceived stress, negative emotion, and lack of social support predicted not only self-reported illness, but also such biomarkers as viral shedding and inflammatory cytokine activity. Evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation can reduce experienced stress and negative emotions. Similarly, both epidemiological and experimental studies have suggested that regular exercise may protect people from ARI illness. A recent observational cohort study (n = 1,002 adults) reported 32% to 46% lower incidence, duration, and severity of ARI illness among the most active vs least active participants. Thus, sufficient evidence exists to justify testing the hypothesis that training in meditation or exercise can reduce susceptibility to ARI illness.

Research Methodology

Community-recruited adults aged 50 years and older were randomized to 1 of 3 study groups: 8-week training in mindfulness meditation, matched 8-week training in moderate-intensity sustained exercise, or observational control. The primary outcome was area-under-the-curve global illness severity during a single cold and influenza season, using the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-24) to assess severity. Health care visits and days of missed work were counted. Nasal wash collected during ARI illness was assayed for neutrophils, interleukin-8, and viral nucleic acid.

Research Findings

Of 154 adults randomized into the study, 149 completed the trial (82% female, 94% white, mean age 59.3 ± 6.6 years). There were 27 ARI episodes and 257 days of ARI illness in the meditation group (n = 51), 26 episodes and 241 illness days in the exercise group (n = 47), and 40 episodes and 453 days in the control group (n = 51). Mean global severity was 144 for meditation, 248 for exercise, and 358 for control. Compared with control, global severity was significantly lower for meditation (P = .004). Both global severity and total days of illness (duration) trended toward being lower for the exercise group (P=.16 and P=.032, respectively), as did illness duration for the meditation group (P=.034). Adjusting for covariates using zero-inflated multivariate regression models gave similar results. There were 67 ARI-related days of-work missed in the control group, 32 in the exercise group (P = .041), and 16 in the meditation group (P <.001). Health care visits did not differ significantly. Viruses were identified in 54% of samples from meditation, 42% from exercise, and 54% from control groups. Neutrophil count and interleukin-8 levels were similar among intervention groups.

Research References

As always with these reviews, these are my takeaways from the article and I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. The references used in this article by the authors of this article are listed here.

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